When did you stop using the crate at night?

My 6‑month‑old Lab has been going through some nighttime crate regression, and I’m curious how others handled this stage.

For context, his crate is in the room next to our bedroom. This might be on me because my boyfriend was away on a work trip, and during that time I let our puppy sleep in our bedroom in his dog bed. He slept great in our room, didn’t need to get up to potty, and actually got a full night’s rest.

But when he’s in the crate, he hasn’t been sleeping through the night and it really seems like he has trouble settling in there.

We still plan on using the crate when we leave him home for short periods, so I’m not trying to ditch crate training altogether. I’m just wondering what people think about letting him sleep in his dog bed in our room at night instead of crating him. Is this a normal transition around this age? Did it cause issues for anyone long term?

Would love to hear what worked for you and your pups.